Excerpt from 3 WOMEN by Charles Bukowski

part of each day we would spend in the park looking at the ducks.  you've got to believe me, that when your health is down from continual drinking and lack of decent food, and you're tired of fucking while trying to forget, you can't beat the ducks.  I mean, you've got to get out of your place, because you can get the deep blue blues and it soon might be you out the window, it is easier to do than you might imagine.  so Linda and I would sit on a bench and watch the ducks.  the ducks didn't worry worth a damn - no rent, no clothes, plenty of food - just float around shitting and quacking.  nobbling, nibbling, eating all the time.  once in a while one of those from the hotel would catch a duck at night, kill the thing, take it to their room, clean it and cook it.  we thought about it but never did it.  besides they were very hard to catch; you just get so close and SLUUUSH!!!  a spray of water and the motherfucker would be gone!  most of the time we ate small pancakes made of flour and water, or now and then we would steal some corn from somebody's garden - one guy specialized in a corn garden - I don't believe he got to eat a one of them, then there was always a bit of stealing from an outdoor market - I mean there was a vegetable stand in front of a grocery store - this meant an occasional tomato or two or a small cucumber, but we were petty thieves, small time, and we needed mostly luck.  the cigarettes were easiest - a walk at night - somebody always left a car window down and a pack or half-pack of smokes on the dashboard.  of course, the wine and the rent were the real problems and we fucked and worried about it.